​Exotic new worlds, excitement, danger and a dragon-shifting alien. What more could you ask of a science fiction anthology? Check out these new stories from authors Rose Nickol, A.M. Halford, KD Jones, and Bethany Shaw.

Lovers Lost in the Stars: By Rose Nickol

​Myla didn’t realize how different her life could be until she was kidnapped and stranded with two of the most devastating males she had ever met. Captain Dwaain Moreson and his second Lewan were from the planet of Xylan and Protectors of the planet. Dwaain was also leader of the planet.

Finding Myla and her father stranded in space had been a stroke of luck for Dwaain. Being attacked by the Meglan and stranded with the little female and Lewan worked nicely into his plans, plans for him and Lewan to be bonded to the woman. Would fate intervene again and take her away or would all their dreams come true?

Excerpt:

“Stop! You’ll hurt yourself,” Dwaain told her loosening his hold. He relaxed his arms enough that she could sit up straight.

Myla pushed against his shoulders enough to put some distance between them and sat her back straight. “Please let me up.”

Dwaain moved his hands to rest on the arms of the chair and let the little female up. “You cried out in your rest. I only wanted to console you.”

“Thank you. I appreciate your comfort. However, I’m to be life bonded to Naglan of the Leean. I would appreciate it if you showed more decorum.”

She stood before him, and even seated he was taller than she. Dwaain reached down and lifted her chin with one finger so that she was looking into his eyes. “I will do as I choose with you and you will like it.”

Myla took a deep breath, and her face turned red, but she said nothing. She knew better than to provoke him more. After all, she was still a prisoner and needed to keep her head about her. She didn’t know what he would do if she antagonized him.

“I will not hurt you, a little female. Anything I do I will guarantee you will enjoy. If I wanted to, I could have you screaming my name.” Dwaain held her chin between his fingers forcing her to look into his sage green eyes. Myla let out a little huff and twisted out of his grasp. “It is of no consequence. I am to be queen. I am betrothed. I cannot break the scared promise. It would bring shame on the royal family.”

Dwaain let her escape. “We will see, little female. We will see.”

Romancing a Space Ranger: by A.M. Halford

Planet Genus Nine is a key location for the human expansion into space and is presently used as a primary military base. Lieutenant James Wright is in charge of the new arrival, civilian architect Martin Black. Martin is on Genus Nine to build a new rec-center and hospital wing.

These two butt heads at any given situation, but an attack on the military base forces them to face their desires and each other. With an alien threat, meddling exes, and just their own stubborn prides in the way, can Martin and James find love together?

Excerpt:

Martin and Daryl had spent two days in deep conversation with the CO of the base and the CEO of their construction firm. What it all boiled down to was they were getting the help they needed to get back on track. Gerald was relieved of his job. Martin felt no remorse for costing the man his career. If he’d just reported the situation as it was, then there would have been no problems. Delays were expected and understandable when dealing with these conditions.

Presently, he was standing in the middle of stacks upon stacks of supplies. He looked like a child lost in a maze as he gazed up at one pallet and checked the barcode number against the list on his tablet.

All the remaining supplies for the foundation arrived last night, at least that was the report. Martin was trying to ensure that was the case. The last thing he needed was for his guys to start pouring concrete over the rebar and laying out the second half of the foundation just to have to stop part way through because of another error.

He was about halfway through the check.

“Why don’t you have someone else do this?” James asked him from his place watching from a vantage point. Not that there were too many vantage points in this maze of crates and pallets. “You are the one in charge. Labor like this shouldn’t be your primary duty.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Martin smiled. James had started opening up around lunch time yesterday. The Ranger seemed intrigued by the fact Martin took such a hands-on approach to his job. “To ensure the site runs smoothly and efficiently is my job. That includes checking the supplies. I’d rather Daryl and his team place their efforts where needed, laying the foundation and getting us back on schedule. I, on the other hand, usually have hours of free time which would normally be spent in an air-conditioned office.”

“Was that a complaint or were you bragging?” James frowned.

Shrugging, Martin looked to the man and winked at him, “You decide.”

Elite Dragon Warrior: by KD Jones

Elite Warrior Markus traveled a long way from his home world of Drakonia. This new planet called Earth is strange and the people even stranger. He was there for one reason, to find more of his people and to protect them from enemies old and new. What he didn’t expect was to find a mate that both he and his dragon wanted to bond with. Things just got more complicated but he was a dragon-shifting warrior, he could handle anything.

Excerpt:

Val opened the two bottles of beer and set them up on the bar. Her customers, a couple of locals, winked at her as they grabbed their bottles. The phone rang and she glared over at her supposed help for the night, Tina, who was leaning over and flirting with customers instead of working. She should have told her boss that she would handle the bar alone tonight. Buz insisted, however, that since it was a Friday night she needed the help. Plus, Tina was his niece so there wasn’t much she could do.

Val reached for the phone and turned her back to the bar. “Saddle Up Saloon. Yes, of course we’re open. No, the kitchen shut down an hour ago. Happy to help.” She hung up and caught the sight of several new customers coming up to the bar.

Turning around she greeted them, “Welcome to Saddle Up Saloon. What can I get you?” Holy shit! The three men that just came in were smoking hot, wearing leather jackets and tight-fitting jeans and dark sunglasses.

She couldn’t help but gawk at him. The man had to be the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. If only he took off his glasses. As if he could hear her thoughts, he took the dark sunglasses off and looked at her. She was stunned into silence. His eyes were a golden honey color, warm and welcoming. He cleared his throat.

“Miss, are you okay?”

Oh man, he probably thought she was rude or something. “Sorry, what did you want?”

He took a seat at the bar and the other two men sat as well. They were good-looking men too, but she couldn’t seem to take her eyes from this one with the gold eyes. The way he watched her had her nipples harden and she felt a pulsing in her pussy.

“I asked for three of whatever is good.”

“We don’t have hard liquor or mixed drinks, just wine and beer in bottle or on tap. Do you like dark or light beer?”

He hesitated for a moment, looking at his two friends before telling her, “Dark.”

“Okay.” She quickly went to get three dark beers from the cooler and opened them, then put them on the bar in front of each man. She stood there for a moment, not being able to move away, trapped in the first man’s golden eyes. “So are you guys just passing through?”

That was stupid—just about everyone passed through this small town. Rarely did anyone stay unless they got stuck somehow or were raised up here. She fit the first. She had come with an ex who broke her heart, stole all her money, and abandoned her there. She had no friends or family to call for help, but thankfully the locals were kind enough to take her in. She had been there now for three years, never making enough to go anywhere and really had no desire to leave. This small town had become her home.

“We will be here for a few days.” His voice was deep, with a bit of an accent she couldn’t place—sexy as hell. She bet he could talk women out of their panties with just the sound of his voice. Her body was feeling overheated. Touching her forehead, she was grateful it wasn’t sweaty.

Phoenix Down: by Bethany Shaw

Nova’s family expects her to fail, and she’s determined to prove them wrong. Her first mission isn’t going to plan, though. Her ship has crashed and she’s the only survivor. Now, she must convince the handsome human that she means him no harm and is there to help him.

James doesn’t believe his eyes when he witnesses an alien attack in his backwater town. After watching one of his neighbor’s be obliterated by one of the invaders, he comes to the rescue of an injured young woman. He rushes the unconscious beauty back to his farm where he and his niece tend to her. When she awakens, he realizes there is something about her that isn’t quite human. Can he and his niece trust the enchanting alien?

Excerpt

A groan drew him from his thoughts. James snapped his attention to the woman who lay on the ground. Another whimper escaped her lips. Blonde hair covered her face. She was petite but muscular. The black jumpsuit she had on hugged her figure, showing off her natural curves.

Her arm was mangled. Ice covered it from the tips of her fingers to her elbow. Her breathing was labored and soft moans blew out in time to her breathing. She wasn’t moving. If she was conscious it was barely.

James went to her side and knelt next to her. He pushed the hair out of her face, and stared. She was gorgeous with thin, pink lips, a round face, and small nose.

Her sapphire eyes flicked open. They were brighter than any eyes he’d ever seen, almost shining. She mumbled something but it wasn’t in English.

“It’s okay,” he said.

The woman’s eyes fluttered shut.

“Hey,” he said, putting his hand on her neck to find her pulse.

A slow but steady thrum met his fingers. He let out a breath and looked around. It’d be risky to move her, but he couldn’t just leave her while he found help – assuming he could find it at all.

He wasn’t a field medic, but he’d seen enough carnage to know she looked stable. Hopefully there was no internal bleeding. He scooped her up and carried her to the truck that still sat idling in the field.

James opened the passenger door and set her in the seat, doing his best not to jostle her. He closed the door and hurried to the driver’s side, hopping in, and putting it in gear as he closed the door.

The truck lurched forward when he stomped on the gas. He sped back toward the gravel drive undecided on whether he should get her to the cellar for care or go for McGee’s guns.

If he couldn’t protect her, it would be pointless to save her. He turned the wheel and stomped on the gas. He hoped McGee’s guns would be easy to find. He needed to get the woman help and get back to Emma.

James fished his cell out of his pocket and skimmed through the contacts until he found the home phone. He hit send and put the phone to his ear. Nothing. He looked at the phone and cursed. Still no service. Shit.

He blew out a breath and revved the truck. What the hell was going on? An alien invasion, he told himself. It made him laugh out loud. Nothing about this was funny except for how absurd it all was. He had an old radio at home. He’d get the guns, get the woman back to the house, and then snatch that damn radio from the barn to see if he could find out what the hell was going on.

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A.M. Halford

Mondays: Free post days where I post about anything I feel like talking about.Wednesdays: WIP Wednesdays where I post articles about my current works in progress and share a small snippet from one of them.Fridays: Author Spotlights. I share an author and spotlight their work!